Hey wanted to ask if anyone has had this happen to older doggie.. she is 14 has had a grade 3 murmur for a few years vet not concerned until last visit patches was panting alot nurse took her in the back...they came back and said they wanted to do this blood test to check her heart out seem her murmur has gotten worse.. its a Bnp something or other which won t be back for a week.. said they could put her on meds if need to be ..but don t know if its in the valve or in the heart muscle itself.. So she is on wellness super 5 for senior.. she has been not having alot of energy and a runny nose.. panting after walking so limiting it for now to around the block..My question is what will they want to do next I am wondering if xray s would tell if one side or the other is larger etc..don t want to go jinto to much dwelling until results come back..but that little voice tells me something ain t right.. does ultrasound have to be done to get the right meds started? she has always been active until senior years anyway.. her appetite isn t as good either bribe with a little turkey on top..think I will call wellness to see how much sodium is in her food.. but just thought I d ask as to the care plan that might be needed.. thanks ahead of time for reading..

Hi,Several years ago, our 12 year old rescue, Savana, was diagnosed with a heart murmur.We never saw that it caused a problem until she started to become very quiet and inactive.Savana's tests showed that her blood oxygen level was like 40% what it should have been, but it happened very gradually. They also did x-rays and ultra sounds with her to help diagnose her condition.Savana was placed on Latrix to eliminate fluid around the heart, and several other meds that helped the blood oxygen level and eliminated fluid. These meds helped her and she became more active again.

I wish I could be of more help and remember more about the meds she was on. I just know Savana was helped by the medication, so don't give up hope.

Also, there are others on the forum that have gone thru this; I'm sure they will comment.Good Luck!

My 8 year old male also has a murmur.....he didnt become symptomatic at first.. Last year I noticed that he was letharagic and just not feeeling well. He was seen by a canine cardiologist and had an echo (ultrasound) done. He was started on a drug, enalapril. This helps the heart pump more efficiently. Within a month, he definitely perked up. We repeated the echo 6 months later. He still has the murmur, but its much improved and so is he. He will need this drug long term. We check his kidney function yearly also with this drug. He has responded very well. There are lots of options.......good luck.

Thanks for the postings I am still waiting for the call back from the blood work before they decide but she has been not herself no energy and tires easily so waiting and taking short walks for now ..she is getting tired so easy it makes her confused..she has learned that her body has changed ..poor thing..they are so brave when something is wrong ...

My previous dog had a heart murmur. My vet just put her on the meds. She never had any ultrasounds. The meds helped tremendously. I know it's had to know what to do. I hope you get a good prognosis from your vet.

If it were me, I'd restrict the exercise until you know what's really going on. My last cocker had a Grade 4 murmur and we had her on Lasix (a diuretic) and Vetmedin. She was very tired and also couldn't take the heat too much as she got older (I notice you're also in TN and it's been HOT). She did well on those for quite a while, but if your girl's heart is having problems, she does not need exercise right now. Let the doctor get her started on some medicine before you resume the walks.

Ok won t walk past mailbox.. Thanks for all the kind thoughts.. how long did your dogs take the meds? I have just read about heart issues in dogs and it means their survival rate goes down it has gotten me so worried like if I put her on the meds she may do worse ..I guess we have to rely on the vets to tell us wether this will cause more harm .Thanks again everyone Mary and Patches..

No, I don't think her survival rate will go down if she starts taking the heart medicine. I think she'll do better. It will help ease some of the strain on her heart. My dog took heart medication for about 3 years, and she was 13 when she started. That may not be the norm, but I know she felt better once we started her on the medicine. She still went for short walks around the neighborhood with us, but nothing too strenuous. Keep us posted, please.

I had Maxine who had a grade four murmur. She had an echocardiogram to check it out. She would also get tired at times and when she did we took the cue from her and minimized exercise. She never had to take meds. She did need to have a coat on her when it got cool ( she chilled easily). We now have Maddie who has a severe heart murmur and an enlarged heart. He is taking lasix and enalapril twice daily. Now that he is stabilized on the meds he is doing very well ( even taking hikes!). There are some things to consider....do not exercise the dog in hot or humid weather OR very cold weather, make sure their living environment is comfortable for them (the coat in winter) and they get a good quality food. The purpose of the echocardiogram or ultrasound to diagnosis is there are a lot of heart meds out there. If you can get a clear idea of what the degree and issue is, the meds can be prescribed specifically for that. Otherwise all the vet can do is offer general heart meds which may or may not be optimal for the situation.

Blondie will be ten in October. She was diagnosed with a heart murmur several years ago. It is a grade 4. About a year ago, she was coughing a lot, so off to the Vet we went (again). Yes, I take my Cockers to the Vet a lot. Her blood pressure was 180, it should be 150. The Vet also said she had a leaky heart valve.

My Vet admitted that he was limited in what he could do for her, so I took it upon myself to find a Cardiologist and get a second opinion. That was a very good decision because Blondie is doing so much better. My Vet basically gave me no hope for her over a year ago. The Cardiologist said Blondie could live with this for several years and end up passing from something else.

Blondie had an Ultrasound last October. She actually has TWO leaky valves. The Cardiologist has her on Vetmedin, Enalapril, Spironolactone, and Norvasc. (The Norvasc was added this summer when her blood pressure went up).

Blondie did well on the meds, the coughing was a lot less, and she had more energy. She had lost a few pounds (she normally weighs 18 pounds). We got her back up to 18 pounds again.

Blondie saw the Cardiologist for her six month checkup and had another Ultrasound done. Her heart had actually improved slightly. Her blood pressure did go up again, as high as 190. I had to take her to the Vet every other week to get it checked until it was back to normal.

We take Blondie for two walks a day, a mile or two each time, as long as it is not too hot. The Vet okayed it. He said exercise is good for her, in moderation. Blondie does wear a sweater in the winter. She has quite the wardrobe.

The meds are very expensive, the Cardiologist and the ultrasounds are expensive, but Blondie is so worth it (even though we have six other Cockers). Yes, I take my Cockers to the Vet a lot.

A few days after Blondie was diagnosed with a leaky valve, we took the crew to a Dog Park (first time ever, since I am afraid of crazy people with guns at Dog Parks). Blondie got in the pond and swam all the way across, while I was freaking out. I have several witnesses to verify that.

Thanks everyone so much ..they called and the Bnp stress test that would show if the heart was enllarged was good still within the normal limits .. so that is good.. she said it would be ok to get her teeth cleaned and since she is on a wellness plan that is covered..it scares me kinda with her having to be put under but it won t take that long and she needs it..they are real careful but my heart skipps a beat for her to think I was leaving her behind ..I will be glad when it is done and she is resting at home..don t you just love them for their love..if nothing else..thanks again this room gives me a place to go when I need that understood..I will ask the vet about the ekg I think they use them during anesthsia

If your vet does not suggest it ( and most will) please ask for antibiotic prior to the cleaning. Often bacteria during a cleaning can get into the system of the dog ( or person) and make for issues afterwards. Taking an antibiotic before hand prevents it from being an issue. It sounds as if your vet has a good handle on what is being done and the fact that you are being proactive is certainly added insurance for your pup. Please let us know what they find out.

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